Con Te Partiro (Time To Say Goodbye) by Joe McElderry

The year was 1999.  The song was Con Te Partiro.  The hotel was the Bellagio.  It was not a tryst but a distant memory of an otherworldly time I was introduced to Andrea Bocelli's sad, haunting, and soulful song - Con Te Partiro.

The phrase "Con Te Partiro" is Italian.  It's English translation is "Time To Say Goodbye".  The Bellagio's piped-in music 24-7 is Con Te Partiro.  The music video on the hotel TV is, you guessed it right, Con Te Partiro.  I didn't know the song nor the singer.  I remembered calling the front desk just to ask for  the title and singer of the song.  So, when I went home from Las Vegas, the first thing I did was look for the Romanza album of Andrea Bocelli, and I got one.

That was a million years ago.  Now, I never thought that the song can be sung by any other singer.  It would seem to be a career suicide to be compared with Bocelli.  Joe McElderry's new version however, is a refreshing take on the beautiful song.

Who is Joe McElderry?  McElderry, now 21 years old, is the 2009 grand winner of the British talent show, The X Factor.   If you are a fan of The X Factor, I am sure you have already came across with McElderry.  He became famous with his rendition of Luther Vandross's Dance WIth My Father.  He auditioned with that song and made a studio cover in 2011.  For me, McElderry's voice borders on "androgynous" (if it's at all possible to use that word to describe a voice that could sound either male or female), but definitely pleasant to the ears.  When I first heard him sing with his natural vibrato, I knew that he is a gifted singer and that his voice can very well showcase show tunes and classical pieces.

I recently stumbled upon Joe Mc Elderry's music video of the song Con Te Partiro.  I was glad I did.  He sounded fantastic.  It was part of his 2011 album "Classics".  In that album, he obviously crossed over from pop to opera, and successful at that.  I love the song and I love Bocelli''s rendition.  Now, I have a new favorite.  If you haven't heard of the song yet, here it is.  Please do watch the video.  I highly recommend this beautiful song.  It has a great message, too.  "Leave your old baggages behind.  It's time to say goodbye and move on!"